Multi-screen video advertising during the 2014 World Cup should increase

Posted on
May 6, 2014 by
YuMe

Major sporting events are a great way for marketers and advertisers to capture the attention of many people at the same time. From basketball's NBA Playoffs to the World Series in baseball and football's Super Bowl, these events attract not only thousands of spectators in stadiums and arenas, but also a huge digital viewing audience as well.

However, the biggest sporting event of all could be the World Cup in soccer. The games are held every four years, and teams from all over the globe compete to become the last one standing in a tournament that lasts nearly a month.

It's safe to assume that the World Cup this is an attractive event for marketers and advertisers that develop video marketing strategies to promote products and services. This year, the World Cup will take place in Brazil and it will begin in June and end in July. As a result, brands are already gearing up to deploy video ads that will run throughout the duration of the event.

But when it comes to video marketing, consumer behavior is key and companies need to be up to date with the latest trends. Due to the increased proliferation of tablets, smartphones and laptops, video ad publishers understand that television is no longer the only way people view digital content and thus realize the need for multi-screen video advertising to capitalize on the growing number of people who use mobile devices. This will be especially critical during the World Cup.

The world's biggest soccer event goes multi-screen
According to eMarketer, soccer fans around the world are gearing up to watch the World Cup on more than one device, and many brands have begun to develop multi-screen video advertising initiatives as a result.

We recently conducted a survey with the help of Instant.ly to assess how U.S. soccer fans plan to view this year's World Cup. The poll revealed some interesting data. Forty-four percent of respondents said that being able to watch matches on more than one device is important to them. Additionally, 54 percent stated they intended to watch video replays of matches online, while 59 percent said that being able to watch more than one match on multiple devices made the World Cup an attractive event.

The data contained in this survey is sure to influence companies unsure about the viability of launching a multi-screen video advertising campaign during the World Cup. Many people will be watching the games on more than one device, and to not develop video marketing strategies is a failure to capitalize on a tremendous marketing opportunity.

The eyes of the world will be watching
According to Adweek, the 2010 World Cup final attracted 715 million viewers between television and mobile, and the tournament overall saw 3.2 billion viewers. According to FIFA, which stands for the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the last World Cup was televised in 204 countries and total attendance in the stadiums where matches were held was more than 3 million. FIFA says that it is the most viewed sporting event in the world.

It goes without saying that the World Cup is an opportunity for many companies to introduce themselves to a global audience, and it's something that shouldn't be taken lightly. Additionally, the multi-screen data is a key indicator that this event will be watched on more than just TV, so video ad publishers, marketers and advertisers should all be ramping up for an event that seems to grow in viewership every four years thanks to the proliferation of technology. World Cup viewership isn't likely to experience a period of decline as technology will certainly aid in making the sport even more popular than it already is.